Often it is desirable to move a container of hot or cold beverage from one location to another without sloshing or spilling the contents of the container, particularly when drinking from the container while driving or engaging in other activities. However, transporting a drinking container of hot liquid represents a substantial safety hazard especially if being carried in a moving vehicle. Any sudden movement of the container can cause surging and spillage of the hot liquid resulting in serious burns and damage to personal property.
A variety of splash resistant devices have been developed in response to the above and similar problems for use with drinking containers. Some of these devices substantially enclose the liquid within the container and typically include an opening along its outer periphery at the rim of the container for allowing direct access to the liquid. A major problem with this type of device, however, is that the liquid will surge or splash through the opening if the container is abruptly moved which may result in serious burns if the liquid is hot. Also, the user must inspect the container in order to align the opening with their mouth before each instance of drinking which may be particularly dangerous if the user is operating a moving vehicle. Substantially enclosing the liquid within the container also prevents a release of the liquid's fragrance from the container therefore inhibiting the user's sense of smell and taste.
It is therefore desirable to have a guard that is easily adapted to a wide variety of drinking containers such as plastic cups, beverage cans, mugs or similar vessels without having to modify the container and which substantially prevents splashing, sloshing, surging or spillage of the beverage from the container if the container is moved. It is further desirable to have such a guard that will enable the drinking of the beverage from the container without splashing, sloshing, surging or spillage of the beverage from the container and without having to align the container with a user's mouth before each instance of drinking.